NAMASTE AND WELCOME TO THE BEAUTIFUL ENERGETIC SEASIDE CITY OF MUMBAI, INDIA! Formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai ranks as one of the great cities of the world, and this distinction alone is enough to make it a compulsory destination for the serious world traveller. That said, don't come here looking for a monument on the scale of the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids of Giza, because Mumbai doesn't have any one attraction that spectacular. Like Tokyo or Reykjavik, Mumbai is a place to take it easy, soak up the atmosphere, people-watch, rather than madly rush from one tourist site to another. This is a vast city, and it has often been said, that the longer you stay in Mumbai, the more you enjoy it. It is one of those places that grow on you. For example, you could easily spend a lifetime getting to know the Mumbai restaurant scene, and trying a different dish in a different restaurant every day. I have never eaten a bad meal in Mumbai -- the food has always been nothing short of perfect. If culture's your thing, the city is packed with a dazzling array of Hindu temples, Moslem mosques, Jain and Parsi worship places, and all of the weight of the British Empire and the Indian effort to evade that heavy load. A lot of travellers seem to the opinion that Mumbai/Bombay is a place to be avoided as much as humanly possible, and they are quite happy to take the first bus or train out of here to a more relaxing location -- for example Goa. I think they are mistaken, and they are missing out on something. If I had the time, I would like to spend a lot of time in Mumbai. There are so many things to do, so many things to experience. Fancy becoming an actor or actress in an Indian Bollywood movie? It is so easy to do I almost guarantee you will get a role if you hang around in the city any more than a week. You don't even have to make any calls or approach any agents -- a talent scout will invariably pick you off the street, and sign you up for a film (and they will pay for it, of course!) Alternatively, you could spend your time shopping, and there are plenty of bargains to be found. At the end of the day, Mumbai is a place to lean back and enjoy ambience. But being a part of India and all, this ambience will be of the in-your-face kind, and you expect to be hassled and pressured by touts from Day One. Don't let them put you off -- Mumbai is a fun place and a heady dose of exoticism and a thrill to your senses. You ought to see the city at least once. Even if you are not normally a fan of big cities.

o n l i n e + r e s o u r c e s

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF A NEW PLACE ALWAYS SAY A LOT -- in a way they encapsulate an irreducible essence, and are thus worth their weight in gold. So, what were my first impressions of Mumbai -- let me tell you! But first, I want to introduce the first impressions of other Mumbai visitors who have posted their experiences on the Web, so that you might develop a composite picture of what to expect, when you first hit this dizzying dazzlign city. Fritz Galt reported, in the Fall of 1998:

People who had visited India before us tried to prepare us to be overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells of this fascinating country... i is a beautifully situated city, right on the Arabian Sea. The streets are lined with once spectacular buildings with ornate NeoGothic balconies and columns that have unfortunately been the victims of an unforgiving climate and a perpetual lack of funds, brought about in large part by a fifty-year-old rent control law which removes any incentive for landlords to maintain buildings. The dilapidated exteriors, however, often belie very elegant interiors.
There is everywhere evidence of a lot of wealth in Mumbai. We have Bennetton's, Reebok and Baskin-Robbin's (where Mumbai's most expensive ice cream is a third the price it was in Taipei - approximately 75 cents a scoop), and the 5-star hotels are full of young people chatting away on their cellular phones.

Then, of course, there are the sights at the opposite end of the spectrum - far from the world of cellular phones. It is the 7-year-old girl dressed in rags tapping on the car window begging for food or money. It is the countless families living in shanties or simply under a flap of discarded plastic on the sidewalk. It is the babies toddling barefoot around trash-strewn street corners dressed only in a torn shirt. It is the young women with thin babies on their hips who follow you along a shopping street imploring at your elbow for a handout. It is the kids the age of our preschool daughter rummaging through a trash dumpster for the makings of a meal.

Yes, those were my first impressions too -- amazing natural beauty, blue skies and ornate crumbling buildings and those long sandy Arabian beaches -- and above all the complete mish-mash of Absolute Wealth and Absolute Poverty.

Chetanas Forum: http://www.chetanasforum.com/.
One of the leading job sites in India where members can introduce themselves, recruiters can post jobs and everyone can come together in the community forums. There are jobs here for freshers and the more experienced. There are placement papers from the likes of Amdocs, transcripts from a typical interview at Infosys, and advice on how to write a killer resume. ...

India Study Channel: http://www.indiastudychannel.com/.
As well as being a portal for all things educational in India, India Study Channel offers Indian students a way to make money. For example, you can write a post and have it published and then get a share of the Google Adsense advertising revenue it makes. Alternatively, you could sell your old exam papers to the website. I'm hoping it is legal to this; some channel members have earnt more than 100,000 Rupees for their efforts.

Freelancer: http://www.chetanasforum.com/.
As a non-paying member you can choose 25 job types that you can bid on (for example, CubeCart, Interspire, Google Earth, etc). You can only change a total of 10 job types per month. If you are a gold member, you can choose up to 50 job types. As a non-paying member, you are allowed to bid on 30 job offers per month. There are jobs posted all the time in tonnes of different categories; the field I am trying to crack into is freelance travel writing. Unfortunately, I face pretty strong competition from developing world writers, many of whom are willing to write a 500 word article for only US$3. My brother, a medicine company manager in Australia, makes US$3 every 90 seconds. Anyway, it just goes to show that Indian freelancers have such an advantage in this kind of game, because their labour price is so low. That is why, for someone like me, it probably pays more being than an employer than an employee! More on that later! When you bid on a project on Freelancer, you can also specify how long it will take you to complete the work, and whether you need a milestone (a part payment) along the way. If you want to improve your chances of being picked for the job, a small fee will bump you up the list. ...

Valued Opinions: http://www.valuedopinions.co.in/.
Over the past year (2011) Valued Opinions has become my third highest source of online income, after Google Adsense and Chitika. Yesterday, for example, I earnt AUS$13 for completing three online surveys (on soap, computers, and the Murdoch paywall!) Mind you, yesterday was an exceptional day, I don't normally earn that much! Although I sometimes get a headache wading through page after page of questions in these surveys, it is not all hard work and drudgery, and the questions themselves can be educational. That Murdoch survey I completed, for example, offered me a glimpse of what they are thinking at News Corporation, and how the paywall might roll out. Other surveys offer you a chance to roadtest websites before they are launched, or to mould the development of new products. You can take the pulse of the media and marketing trends in your country, whatever country you are in (Malaysia, Singapore, India, or the UK!)

Wisdom Jobs: http://www.wisdomjobs.com/.
This site promotes itself as a "fourth generation jobs site" and adopts a more intuitive approach to helping people find jobs. The jobs are sorted according to industry sector -- there is everything from accountancy and advertising, at the lower reaches of the alphabet, to travel and tourism at the other end. The site has loads of novel features like the "Pragnya Meter" where you can "test your calibre". This site is also good for Malaysians looking for josb in other parts of the world.

o f f l i n e + a g e n c i e s

A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE INDIAN BACKPACKER CIRCUIT SWEAR THEY WOULD NEVER VISIT MUMBAI/BOMBAY UNLESS THEY REALLY H. Mumbai is not the only big city to suffer this anti-big city prejudice among the international traveller elite -- Bangkok and Singapore and even Reykjavik (Iceland) also get dissed by crowds of people who think the real fun is to be found in the Sticks. They are mistaken, sorely mistaken -- in most countries I think the real life and experience is to be found in the city. While it is true that Mumbai is a world apart from the ordinary Indian way of life -- there are McDonalds on seemingly every block, and Citibank outlets even in the slums -- while all this is true, it seems to strange to suggest that somehow Mumbai is not the "real India". pecially if you want to taste India in a nutshell, then a week in Mumbai would do you good. But not everybody is so sold on Mumbai's charms as me.

elizadolittle claimed: "I have been to Mumbai a couple of times and I swear this city stinks. Every time I come here I find the following:

Maps

Interactive photographic map of the entire world!

is Tamil and Serangoon is called 'little India' (I can't imagine why, since it's so clean as to be unlike any Indian town!) Temples and mosques are available everywhere, and there is even a fire temple where Parsis can worship. There are various cultural associations so if you go to work there you will never feel homesick. You can get born, married and give up your ghost much as you would at your own native village and not know the difference! Do not feel disconcerted if a Chinese policeman addresses you in chaste Tamil,since many can speak the language, and there are a large number of Chinese Hindus as well!"

India has entered the Era of Gloablization in a big way and from Tokyo to the US and Canada and Australia, Indians can be found looking for jobs and pitching their business ideas. Singapore has emerged as one of the favorite destinations for Indian jobseekers, and a relationship has developed which benefits both partners.

This is from the Financial Express: SINGAPORE ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR INDIAN TECHIES' IDEAS (October 17 2005):
Unable to take advantage of the growing labour-intensive business process outsourcing (BPO) services market like India and China, Singapore has started providing incubator services to individuals with ideas in a big way. Singapore minister for manpower and second minister for defence NG Egn Hen says, E½gIn Singapore, one can test one's idea. The successful experiments can subsequently be replicated on a large scale to feed bigger markets.
"The government, according to the minister, wants entrepreneurs in the knowledge sector to use the facilities provided in the city state as a launching pad in pursuance of bigger dreams.
"What is significant about hosts of industrial parks and incubator centres is that one can spot significant number of Indians, especially the information technology experts, pursuing their ideas in diverse fields as information technology, embedded software, biotechnology, engineering services, industrial design, etc. The Indian entrepreneurs find it easier to work in Singapore which houses 1,526 Indian firms. These include large Indian corporations, technology enterprises and start-ups. The prominent Indian companies which have significant presence in Singapore include TCS, Satyam, Bilcare, Dr Rao Holdings, VSNL and NIIT.
"The latest addition to the series of technology parks to help start-ups is Fusionpolis which is expected to be completed by the second half of 2007. Fusionpolis, according to Mr Philip Su, assistance CEO, JTC Corporation, "is the second major development in the One-North research and innovation hub after Biopolis." The JTC, it may be mentioned, has developed 7,000 hectares of industrial land and over 4 million square meters of ready-built factory space. Currently, the corporation has under its management 39 industrial and specialised parks which include four water fab parks and an advanced display park, two business parks, a chemicals hub, a biomedical park and logistic hubs for air, chemical and general warehousing industries. Together, they house about 7,000 local and foreign companies.
"According to Mr Philip, the twin-tower Fusionpolis, which is being developed at a cost of S$ 560 million, will be the first integrated work-live-play-learn development in the One-north, SingaporeE½fs icon of the knowledge economy. It will have work-live apartments, fitness club, technology showcase, experimental theatre, media studios and retail outlets in addition to work place.
Bridge Singapore reported: "
Without pausing for thought Mohan Aiyer, 40, gave a resounding "yes" when asked whether he would be interested in doing an executive MBA programme with the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) when it opens an offshore Asian campus in Singapore later this year.

"Of course, I'll do the course. They're number one and have been long established. Getting an IIM education would be a very good thing for anybody, primarily because the people who come out of these institutions go on to become role models globally," says the Indian-born entrepreneur, who has been living and working in Singapore for the past seven years.

"Look at the 'Indian corporate mafia' ruling the American corporate world now - they all fundamentally come from IIMs."

Mr Aiyer's "Indian corporate mafia" consists of graduates of the institutions who have become ambassadors of the IIM brand in industry, finance and academia, both within India and abroad.

This makes the six IIMs in India - like their counterparts in technology education - renowned institutions with world-class standing.
At the moment, there are plans to offer only a virtual, part-time EMBA course, which can be completed over a year and a half. However, more courses may be added as the school establishes its presence in the city-state.
"The EMBA course modules would be taught online, with nearly all the faculty members, in terms of teaching staff, working out of our Indian campus," says Prakash Apte, director of IIM-Bangalore, which counts the UK engineering company BAE among its long-standing clients for executive education.
"But we're also looking at hiring locally-based faculty members depending on demand," he adds.
Admission procedure, course content and evaluation are the same as those of IIM-Bangalore. However, in terms of credit equivalence, the course is structured to lead to an EMBA certification, rather than a full degree.
Mr Apte says this is because the course focus is on broadening the outlook and strengthening the skills of practising ĆĀ­managers.
This is achieved by discussing the latest developments in management thinking and their applicability in the Indian and global context. Participants also obtain valuable insights from extensive online interaction with their counterparts from other organisations.
"Even though it may lead to just a certification, I strongly believe there would be demand for it given our brand equity," says Mr Apte.
"In any sense, the certification would be of very high value since the quality of the education will match the high standards of the teaching at the institute."
One of the notable features of an IIM education is the rigour of its teaching methods and processes. For the institute, one way of building on these strengths has been to widen its mandate with the launch of international student exchange programmes.
IIM-B runs exchange programmes with 20 global centres. The school says every year nearly 25 per cent of its graduates are headhunted or poached by multiĆĀ­nationals and offered sky-high salaries.
"The teaching you get there [at IIM] is value for money," says Mr Aiyer.
"The rationale behind the education system is not money-making. For them it's not about running a profitable organisation, but rather the aim is to create intellectuals. Therefore, the teaching staff is very dedicated. The pedagogy and curriculum are comparable to the best globally, while the fee is at a fraction."
As an overseas Indian national, Mr Aiyer fits the profile of the type of candidate the institute hopes to attract for its first EMBA. The initial enrolment target for this year is about 40 to 50 students.
IIM-B officials say that although there is growing demand from south-east and north-east Asia for Indian education because of the alluring status of IIMs, Singapore was chosen primarily for having a large Indian population.
"Although we're reaching out to the entire region, a large proportion of the students are likely to come from the Indians living and working around the region," says Mr Apte.
He adds: "Singapore is an excellent market; we are familiar with the business environment and the industry. Our MBA students are continuously engaged in exchange projects there. But more than that, there's a sizeable overseas Indian community working in Singapore who know us and our value."
While he would not comment on the cost of the EMBA, saying that the committee is still ironing out the pricing strategy, Mr Apte did say the tuition would be "priced competitively and is not going to be very high" when compared with other foreign institutions in higher business education.
IIM-B's biggest competition in Singapore will probably come from Insead and the Chicago Graduate School of Business. Both have well-established campuses in the city-state, offering full-time and part-time MBA and EMBA courses.
Insead charges about $108,000 for its EMBA, while the same course at Chicago costs about $103,000.
The standard fee for a two-year MBA graduate programme at any of the IIM schools in India is about $7,500, which administrators say is about half the actual cost incurred by the college. IIMs make up most of the difference with revenues from executive training programmes and government subsidies.
Although the regional market is large enough to accommodate many leading players, IIM-B's entry into Singapore is likely to up the ante for Insead and Chicago.
While the brand equity of IIM-B is strong and its reputation precedes it, the key challenge would be positioning itself distinctly from its heavyweight rivals, says Mr Apte.
"Of course, we would be seen as some degree of threat," he says.
"If you look at the global environment now, India is fast becoming an economic powerhouse. There is a great interest in the knowledge of the Indian economy, in Indian companies and the peculiarities of the Indian market. And this is what we can provide better than ĆĀ­Chicago or Insead. Fundamentally, this is where our strong value-proposition lies."

Says Hindu On Net: "Jobbing for Work
If you have been offered a job in Singapore, try and make sure your housing needs are taken care of by your employer. They may need to shell out anything from S$ 4-6,000. It is possible to get a modest flat at a Housing Board Colony for S$1500, but the neighbourhood may not fit in with your lifestyle. The company generally picks up electricity and water bills. If you come from one of the hot dry places in the country, be sure that the air conditioning is working well in your flat, as you will need it if you need sleep and rest to live! If you end up paying for yourself then budget for S$600 per month! Make certain your employer gives you full medical coverage and makes an allowance for transport.

"You can't drive too far in Singapore without falling off the side of the island! As its only 22miles across, the Singapore government likes to give residents the feeling that the place is as large as a normal country. To do this they have arranged a series of one-way roads that necessitates a drive of about 30 miles to go to your neighbour's house for dinner! Parts of town are no drive areas for cars with less than four people inside unless you pay for a special permit. Parking cost the earth so its better not to buy a car. In fact it's the intention of the government to keep the numbers of vehicles down! "

As Wikipedia reports: "Following Singapore independence in 1965, migration from India and other countries dwindled, and the Singapore population gradually acquired a more settled character. However, in the 1980s, a significant number of Indian Singaporeans began to migrate to Australia and other English-speaking developed countries. This was part of a minor brain drain from Singapore. Most emigrating families were middle class but culturally marginalised English-speaking minorities like the Peranakans, Eurasians, and gays.

"The loss of more successful Indian families in the 1980s has been somewhat balanced by the arrival of highly qualified professionals from India since the 1990s. From the 1990s, Singapore's policy has been actively to attract highly skilled migrants from around the world and this has produced a fairly large expatriate Indian community of well-educated and wealthy professional and business people. It remains to be seen how permanent this migration is. Most have retained their Indian citizenship, although some have been granted Permanent Residence status. Interaction between the local and expatriate Indian community remains ambivalent rather than easy and natural.

"Transient foreign workers who come to work in Singapore on short-stay work permits (two years validity, renewable) as unskilled or semi-skilled workers working in the as domestic workers and construction workers form a third Indian community. There is little interaction between this group and either the expatiate or local Indian communities."

Skilled Indians Shop for Jobs in Singapore>: By Ishani Duttagupta, The Economic Times.
"For many Indian professionals, it's now time to look East rather than go West. In fact, Singapore is turning into a hub for skilled and highly skilled Indians.
"Singapore's strategic skills list which is drawn up by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), after consultations with industry and other government agencies, puts out the skills for which there is expected to be strong industry demand in the coming years. Job seekers can use this list to help plan their career.
"In view of the expected demand for, and shortage of people with such skills, the MOM also accords added consideration to work permit (Employment Pass and S Pass) applicants, possessing such skills. And in various sectors such as IT and banking and finance, Indian professionals are in high demand.
"'In Singapore, the banking-finance and IT sectors welcome Indians with open arms and many companies, banks and financial institutions have even started visiting Indian campuses. They understand that US is still the main attraction for young Indian professionals and hence they need to sell the idea of working in Singapore to that segment,' feels Amrit Barman, who works with Cisco Systems and is an active member of the IIT Alumni Association in Singapore.
"'In terms of positions, Indians don't start at the CEO positions since one needs to grow into it and the knowledge of the region is important. But in senior management roles such as heads of departments, there are many Indians. However, the largest demand is in the mid-management levels. In the IT sector, jobs are even available for Indian professionals with a few years of experience. That is the starting point and there is a huge demand for skilled Indian IT professionals here,' adds Mr Barman who has himself been living and working in Singapore since 1997.
"The hot sectors, she feels, for Indians seeking to move to Singapore are IT and telecom, manufacturing, oil & gas as well as banking and finance. gThe demand is very high in the mid- management areas. Senior exec positions are mostly filled internally by most companies as a career progression for their current high performers irrespective of the nationality,h adds Ms Alag Suri.
"The tax policy of Singapore is one of the factors that draws immigrants. In Singapore, there are two categories of expat workers, those on employment pass and others who are permanent residents. Tax levels are same for both categories, though permanent residents enjoy better tax subsidies.
"Singapore, in fact, has one of the most benign tax regimes in the world. At the very top end, the tax level is 22% and compared to India and the US, taxes work out much lower for professionals..."

Doctor Jobs: http://www.doctorjob.com.my/.
This is a resource for students and jobseekers in Malaysia. You can search for courses or colleges, find out entry requirements, apply for scholarships, and read national education news. And oh -- you can also look for jobs!

GetAFreelancer: http://www.getafreelancer.com/.Bodisatva B says (presumably somewhere in India!): "Try this site.. www.getafreelancer.com
I got a project for which i get 10K everytime I complete a project. I have complete 1 so far. Have 5K in my bank... and the remaining 5k i blew up on RAM..DVD writer.. :D
Already, 2 more have been queued up. 20K more... ::droool::
Dudes, dont waste ur precious time on adsense.. get a real online part time job. :D I am not an advertiser for getafreelancer... I am just spreading the word coz I found it to be a "moneyplant" :P (Heard of the adage "money doesnt grow on trees...!")

Job Street: http://my.jobstreet.com/default.htm.
A wide range of services offered here, most obviously job search and job alert. Also plenty of up-to-date info about job fairs and career seminars in Malaysia, top job categories, classifieds, jobs for disabled folk, and so on. Worth a click or two.

Learn 4 Good: http://www.learn4good.com/jobs/language/english/list/country/malaysia/.
This is a resource bank for people who want to live, study or travel abroad. There are listings of jobs, schools, places of accommodation, translators, hostels, discussion forums and information about travel and visas. You can search jobs by location, and category. Naturally, Information Technology (IT) gets a high priority on the Malaysian page, and the last time I checked, there were jobs available at such places as SK InfoTech, Adance Marine Services (database developer), Vantronic Industries, Technexel (Java developers), NTi Systems & Solutions in Subang Jaya (IT technician), Northern VIT in Penang (web developer), Applied Business Systems in Kuala Lumpur (Oracle consultant), and so on, and on.

Monster India: http://www.monsterindia.com/.
Tonnes of jobs available here all over India and the outside world, including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Jobs are available in such fields as IT, sales, call center work, engineering, finance, marketing and so on.

Naukri: http://www.naukri.com/.
This is billed as India's top jobs site, and while focussing on jobs inside India, there are plenty of Malaysian jobs advertised in any field you could think of -- from cooking to software design, geotechnical engineering to marketing and management. Jobseekers can open an account and post their resume online. If you need help developing your resume, Naukri offers services for this. Naukri has also introduced what it calls The Job Show. which allows foreign firms to interview Indians by television. Tune in every Saturday at 8.30pm on CNBC.